Dragon's Sorceress Queen

33. More Troubles for Nina

Rosabelle's POV-

"You are leaving too early, Rose." Mother says caressing my hands. I want to scream that I want to stay but how can I? I can't see Richmond on the throne and Dargan has already made it clear that he wants us to leave as soon as possible.

"I need to." I say smiling a little. The events of the morning are still fresh in my mind and I can't help but feel anxious. Dargan didn't look like he believes me and I have no idea how to tell him the truth.

"I know but I wish you could stay longer. We didn't have time together at all. Can you not talk to your husband?" She asks and I turn around, away from her.

"I can't talk him out of it. He has decided and he won't change his decision. But father can talk to him." I say desperately turning to her again.

"Your father already did." She smiles sadly.

"Well, then no one can make him change his decision." I say turning away from her again.

I hear her footsteps before she comes in front of me and lifts her hand to caress my cheek. I pull away instantly making her stop before she could say anything.

"Rose, what—" She tries again and stops when she gets the glimpse of Dargan's fingers around my neck.

"Mother." I step back but she slides my hair back and gasps seeing the marks.

It's hard not to get a look. They are dark.

"Rose... Who did this? Dargan?" She asks.

"Allergy, mother."

"Don't lie to me. Dargan hurt you? Is this the first time?"

"Mother, please. It was just a little quarrel and you know how huge he is. He leaves bruises just by his touch." I chuckle at the end but mother only stares at me.

"If you do not want to tell me than alright. I'll have your father question your husband himself. If you think he can harm you, he is wrong." She says with concern.

"Mother, please. Do not tell anyone. This is— this is just a personal thing."

"I can look at your face and tell it's nothing personal, Rose. Do you know how your father would feel if he gets to know about this? He'll be hurt you didn't trust him enough to tell about this. Rose, he is your father. You know he'll never let anyone harm you."

"I know, mother. And Dargan is not harming me."

"Rose, you can't lie to myface when I have seen everything—"

"You have seen nothing!" I snap at her for teh first time in my life. I take a deep breath in order to calm my raging heart as my mother stands in front of me with shock and teary eyes.

"Do not tell father about this." I say.

"Rose, do you expect me and your father to just sit while our daughter is going through Goddess knows what?!" She yells at me and I just stare at her.

"I do." I softly let out.

"I do expect you to do nothing. I don't want you to meddle with this. It is between him and me, and I want it to stay like that."

"Rose—"

"No, mother, please. You and father didn't listen to me when I begged you to not marry me off. And now that I'm his wife, let me handle it. You didn't care before. Don't care now. You gave me away. And now, I'm his to do as he pleases." I say, my voice barely above a whisper.

Suddenly, all the things I've been forced into rush to me. First the marriage, then the ritual with Ma, Dargan's accusation, proving my worth to the people and finally losing my Kingdom.

"It's time, mother. I must leave soon." I say before turning away.

I hear her footsteps leaving the room before a few minutes later she comes back with a mixture of something.

I smile seeing one his remedies to treat wounds. It's like magic. No wound leaves a scar and it heals it heal super fast.

We both sit in silence while she applies it around my neck. I see her eyes widening and her searching for any other places but I stop her and shake my head at her.

After she is done, I turn away again and taking it as a sign, she leaves the chamber.

When the maid comes the escort me, I realize it has been minutes I have wandered off deep in my thoughts. I get up, take a wet cloth and wipe the mixture of herbs from.around my neck. The bruise has already lightened.

Good.

I make my way out. I see the arrangements are already done and turn to my family.

I nod at Richmond before passing Winston and going directly to my father. He hugs me tight and I breathe in, relishing the moment.

Sharing no more than necessary words, I get into my carriage, ready to go back to the Royal Kingdom, my now home.

Who could have thought, I'd feel the need to be away from the very place I have grown up.

I think I just need Nina to assure me that everything would get well. I really need a little break before I start my search for this secret admirer as well.

Third Person's POV-

"I don't understand where she went! I tied her, Tara. I tied her and she still escaped."

Ralph groans out loud.

He has been at it since morning. The whole night, he was with the other males, trying to get Arcsia back but she was just too good.

"Perhaps, you didn't tie her well enough. But it is alright, Ralph. We'll find her." Tara says.

"But they are planning against the Royal Kingdom and the Queen can get hurt." Ralph says concerned.

"We'll kill them before they get anywhere near her. Keep tracks of all the unmarked territories. They are rogues now, they must be living here."

"Yes, Tara." Ralph bows before leaving Tara alone in thought.

It wasn't hard for Arcsia to escape as she was trained well in all that. But she felt humiliated escaping.

She should've been good enough to get that s*x beast agree to her. But the opposite happened. He used her and tied her like a criminal.

She wouldn't have let it go easily, but she knew running off was the best choice she had. And now, she has to think of a way to get back to her father.

She cannot go empty handed. No, that is not even an option. Louis wouldn't accept her.

"Agh!" Arcsia groans moving alone through the forest. It hadn't gone as she planned and she couldn't go without their alliance.

Until she finds a way to get the Rogue King agree to her, she is stuck to live and survive in this forest and make sure she isn't captured by Ralph's men or worse, him himself.

Arcsia stops when she finds herself in the middle will different paths.

I should be fine near the forbidden lake. Going back through the path I had come from will get me in trouble. No one would come there and I'll be safe, unless the Sorcerers abruptly decide to emerge from the water and kill me.

Arcsia rolls her eyes at her own thoughts before moving to the path that will lead her to the forbidden lake. She moves while waking away the flies coming in front of her face and groans again with the thought of living here for who knows, how long.

After a while on the path, she again finds two paths and a board beside the one she is to choose.

The board says only two words, 'FORBIDDEN LAKE!'

Fucking Sorcerers.

Arcsia mutters under her breath and continues her journey.

In the Royal Kingdom-

Nina stands in front of the window of Rosabelle's chamber. Her mind filled with the events occurred not so long ago. How she was saved from Roald but thrown into another misery when Eleanor found out about Rosabelle.

She was tempted to lie, but what could she have said?

No one would believe her ignorance about Queen's whereabouts. After all, she has been the one updating the Lords and Ladies about her health.

So, she relucatantly told Eleanor the truth and the reaction was the opposite of what she thought.

Eleanor just nodded and even told her to stay away from Roald. She even proposed Nina the offer of serving her as long as Rosabelle isn't here. But Nina has this feeling that the Princess only wanted to help her stay away from Roald. Of course, she saw the marks around her throat and of course her maid might have informed her of what she saw.

She has gotten help from the unexpected. And she still couldn't believe it.

With that , Nina remembers that it's time for her to clean Eleanor's chamber.

She walks there with quick steps and making sure the marks on her throat are covered.

As soon as she reaches there, she meets the maid who saw her with Roald and stops to get her instructions.

"You don't have to do much really. But still take your time." The maid she thought would make fun of her, smiled at her warmly.

Nina nodded and walked inside the empty chamber.

Princess Eleanor is never seen strolling around much and yet she is not in her chamber. She doesn't even have friends. Is— is it possible she has gone to confront Lord Fredini?

The thought makes her tremble in fear.

Already the man has done much damage to her and she knows as the sister Alpha King, Princess could do whatever she wanted.

If she decides to confront Lord Fredini, then Goddess knows he'll put the blame on me and seek any chances to harm me again. Oh Goddess, the more I try to follow mama's words, the more I'm pulled into this mess.

Nina couldn't help thinking aboutwall this while cleaning the room.

What if he succeeds in his deeds and scars me for life? No! Rose will come before anything like that happens!

She assures herself and answers to her own questions. She repeats that before she stumbles upon something because of her lack of concentration. To save her head from hitting the wall, her hands instinctively stretch in front her and her eyes widen seeing the sharp spikes protruding out of the shield hung on the wall in front of her.

"Ah!" She screams expecting an excruciating pain but to her relief, or shock, she doesn't feel any pain.

Nina gasps seeing the spike in the centre merely touching her nose. She can just look at it and tell that this little thing and slit just too many throats.

She recovers from her shock before pulling away quickly. Her eyes fall on the shield in front of her and the two sharp looking spikes she has just pushed inside it.

What have I done?

She looks back down at her unharmed palms not believing what just happened.

I do not have such unbelievable strength.

Curious, she brings her fingertips near another spike and touches it gently while biting her lower lip. She gently pushes it down and the two spikes that were pushed in by her, protrudes again.

Her brows furrow and she again pushes one of the spikes down which makes another one of the spikes around it push itself inside. Confused, Nina continues doing so, only to find no result.

Sometimes the spikes go in and then they come out when she pushes another in.

Is this some kind of puzzle? Or perhaps, it is just for amusement.

"Nina?" The voice startles her and she turns to look at Princess Eleanor with a bowl of something mixed together.

"What are you doing?" Eleanor asks with a sudden strictness to her tone.

"I— I just got stumbled upon something." She says looking down and finding an apple on the ground. She cannot help but feel nervous in her presence. After all, she was the who warned Rosabelle to stay away from Princess Eleanor.

"Yeah, I got stumbled upon an apple and then fell on top of the shield but, it didn't harm me." She explains and Eleanore nods at her after keeping Nina under her strict gaze for a minute.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Eleanor asks without any emotions while moving to her.

"No. They just got pushed in." She says frowning.

Surely Princess knows about that.

"Be careful. Not all of them can be pushed inside." Eleanor says in a soft voice making Nina turn to the shield again.

"Really?"

But I just played with all of them.

"Yeah. The one in the centre doesn't go inside." Eleanor says and Nina's eyes widen remembering how close she was to get her head penetrated with that.

Unknowing to her, he fingertips start reaching towards the spike in the centre.

"Nina." Nina flinches.

"I just told you that one can hurt." Eleanor says and Nina quickly nods.

"Come here."

Eleanor treats Nina's neck with the mixture of herbs and tells her to let it dry all the while Nina trembles in worry for making the Princess concern with a maids wounds.

They both remain quiet thereafter with Nina sitting on Eleanor's bed trembling, while Eleanor reads the book and assures her from time to time that she doesn't mind her sitting on her bed.

Did I read her wrong? She is so good. But I still feel scared of her.

The thought passes through her mind before a maid rushes in.

"Princess Eleanor, Alpha King along with Queen Rosabelle is here." The maid says and Nina springs upon her feet.

I knew she'd win! She didn't come in hiding! She came after winning and now everything will be okay!

"Alright." The maid leaves the chamber and Nina turns to Eleanor desperately.

"Clean that first." She says pointing at Nina's neck before they both make their way outside together.

Nina has a hard time keeping her pace slow enough to walk behind Eleanor. She just wants to go to Rose.

By the time, they both reach to the staircase, the Great Hall is filled with murmurs as Alpha King and his Queen stand beside each other.

As if Rosabelle realizes Nina's eyes on her, she lifts her head to look towards the staircase and there in middle stands Nina and Eleanor. She smiles sadly at Nina with a look of longing in her eyes.

Nina frowns in confusion before her eyes also fall on the Alpha King. To her surprise even he is looking at her. But with a glare. A glare that promises her death.

"You are in trouble, Nina." Eleanor speaks and with no hint of amusement. Being in bad looks of Dargan is anything but amusing. And Eleanor isn't the one to do jokes anyway.

Oh no, I'm so dead. He looks like he wants to kill me. Please Goddess, make Rose save me!